Category Archives: Vintage

Calling all Plush Fans and Crafters: Plush Show at Schmancy in Seattle

Posted on October 9, 2009 | 2 comments

A few years ago, my family and I found ourselves in Seattle and at a wonderful, whimsical store called Schmancy, in the Belltown district, that specializes in all things plush, most of which are hand-made. Shelves were lined with plush cupcakes, benign monsters, felt woodland mushrooms, large-eyed sandwiches, and storybook elves, many of which took their fun sensibility from Japanese art and design.

My daughter has always loved to sew and to make whimsical plush objects (in addition to her own eco-friendly totebags.) She struck up a conversation with Schmancy owner and artist, Kristen Rask, and she ended up having this abstract applique- designed piece in the store’s annual Plush Show.

The Plush Show is happening again, with receptions and activities this weekend and displays throughout the month. In addition, the Northwest Film Forum will be screening Faythe Levine’s film, Handmade Nation. This documentary about the D.I.Y. craft movement will be appearing in other cities; check the film’s website for details.

If you’re crafting at home, there’s plenty of inspiration and instruction available. Kristen Rask’s own book is called Plush You! Loveable Misfit Toys to Sew and Stuff. Another book my daughter Anna has really enjoyed is Softies: Simple Instructions for 25 Plush Pals by Therese Laskey. A bonus of plush-toy crafting is that it can often be done with felt. Felt is so tactile and pleasing to work with. Handmade felt is great but, for children and others wishing to experiment, bright squares and pieces of felt are relatively inexpensive, as well as easy to use.

Another cute fabric-crafting book I recently came across is Betz White’s Sewing Green: 25 Projects Made with Repurposed & Organic Materials. Not strictly oriented to plush, this book has lots of cute ideas for easy, green D.I.Y. sewing projects like sweet pillowcase dresses, mans-shirt aprons, screen printing, a fall-leaf felt scarf, and more.

Be warned: a visit to Schmancy or a poke into one of these books will make you want to start crafting every cute thing inside.

Top Photo by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Community, Crafts, Design, Field Trip, Home Ec., Lost Arts, Sustainability, Vintage

Tagged Betz White, Children's Crafts, D.I.Y., Fabric Art, Faythe Levine, Felt, Handmade Nation, Japanese Design, Kristen Rask, Plush, Plush Show, Plush Toys, Plush You, Schmancy, Seattle, Sewing Green, Softies, Therese Laskey

Tales of the Sonoma-Marin Fair (One Day Left!)

Posted on June 27, 2009 | Leave a comment

I just love this fair! We went opening day and had a spectacular time, as always. It’s a familiar, comfortable, classic fair that’s extremely easy to navigate. This year there were a couple of new additions to the old favorites, as well.

Each fair visit has its own highlight. I always love the many animals at the Sonoma-Marin — goats, sheep, cows, pigs, poultry, rabbits — and the way visitors can walk around and see them, and then watch different animal events. One year, we saw a Sheep Shearing contest, which was fascinating. This year was the first time we saw a 4 H Pig Showmanship contest. We watched kids from 10-16 years old compete.

The judge was wonderful and encouraging to every entrant. He explained to us some of the things he was looking for — command of the animal, eye contact with the judge, ease. Some pigs had clearly chosen Show Day to act up and had to be coaxed out of the ring’s corners. The participants all seemed serious and dedicated.

This Ohio State University site shares more about pig showmanship. As usual, at the fair, I learned something about animals and their care and came away with renewed respect for farmers.

We watched this participant bathe her sheep.

The goats were very rowdy this year, really bleating at one another.

We visited all our other favorite animals.

And we learned more from the wonderful displays kids had made about their animals or their 4 H projects.

This was the first time in years that we hadn’t entered our own jam, so of course we spent a lot of time looking at the food exhibits.

The young cake decorators were particularly impressive. This fondant cake was made by an 11-year-old.

These TV-dinner-themed cupcakes, also made by a young person, were original and perfect.

Still another exhibit hall featured art, collections, and other hobby work, from antique doll collecting to woodworking, by people of all ages. This apron, made by a 10-year-old, was very well done and had a nice vintage look, in fabric choice and design.

The sky turned blue and a sliver of a moon came up. Even the Cinnamon Roll trailer, on the great midway, looked poetic and somehow Western.

We bought kettle corn from a Ft. Worth, TX, couple we always visit. We first had their wonderful kettle corn at the California State Fair, which comes to Sacramento mid-August through Labor Day.

Back down the midway, for another session of rides! This fair charges one admission price, which includes all the rides and exhibits, so there’s no having to stop the fun and/or pay extra for tickets for things. The games do take cash, and we always have to try our luck at those.

Night fell, the neon of the rides came on, and more people seemed to arrive. The fair just felt more lively and exciting.

As always, we’d been there for hours, and it was still incredibly hard to leave.

Until next year!

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

Fairfax Parade and Ecofest

Posted on June 20, 2009 | 2 comments

I recently attended the 32nd annual Fairfax (CA) parade and its newer accompanying Ecofest. Both were extraordinary and really showed off the town and its people. The event featured art, music, dance, food, children’s activities, artisinal products, and demonstrations. Themes of sustainability, social consciousness, friendliness and fun overrode the day. It was a beautiful event.

The Ecofest continued through the weekend. Here are some highlights from the parade, Eco Fashion show, and more:

Many parade entries had themes of Sustainability. This yoke of discarded plastic was particularly effective.

Here’s our own Youth Making a Difference entry. Follow us to the Eco Fashion Show and Ecofest.

The Eco Fashion Show incorporated a group of young women’s many original designs and work, using vintage, recycled, and re-purposed materials. The results were impressive and their enthusiasm was contagious.

At the Ecofest, we learned about worm composting from local vermicomposting expert David Lee Hoffman and from folks from Garden for the Environment, which gives public workshops on organic and sustainable gardening. We found this composter, available at Fairfax Lumber, ideal for our small gardening space.

We also visited with new and old friends among the exhibitors, such as Bay Nature magazine, Environmental Education Center of Marin, Salmon Protection and Watershed Network, Marin Agricultural Land Trust, California Native Plant Society, Bio-Diesel Co-op, the Peace Corps, Tamalpais Natureworks sustainable furniture, and Snow Lotus Essential Oils, which I sampled and which seemed to be of extremely high quality. There were also two bodycare artisans that I highly recommend: Moonflowers Body Care (I like their Jasmine cleanser and Gift of India face cream), and North Rose Botanicals. I bought a little sample bag of North Rose products and can’t wait to replenish the heavenly Rose cleanser, tonic, and moisturizer, which are all wonderfully light in texture and scent.

Bike parking was packed! A terrific sign.

For more about the preparation for the Eco Fashion Show, see:

“Young Crafters Prepare for Eco Fashion Show”

“Eco Fashion Show Part 2: The Screen Printing”

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

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Posted in Community, Crafts, Deck Garden, Design, Field Trip, Home Ec., Scent, Sustainability, Vintage

Tagged Biking, Composting, Eco Fest, Fairfax, Fairfax Festival, Fairfax Parade, Fashion, Moonflowers Body Care, North Rose Botanicals, Parades, Recycled Art, Sustainability, Youth Making a Difference

Eco Fashion Show Part Two: The Screen Printing

Posted on June 10, 2009 | Leave a comment

Screen printing was another very exciting part of the day I spent helping girls get ready for the Fairfax Festival Eco Fashion Show, which takes place Saturday, June 13. We ended Part One of the prep with Annabel and her wonderful altered shirt overlaid with a screen print of a cactus.

The cactus was photographed and then traced.

A neighbor of Molly’s had helped her repair her old screen printing machine, so the girls could make prints for the show. As Molly noted, we see screen printed T shirts all the time, but we are removed from the process of making them by hand. To do so, both screen and drawing get run through a machine that looks a bit like an old copier. This creates a kind of stencil of the artwork on the screen.

This is a print Jessie made using the cactus screen.

This is a screen of the “Youth Making a Difference” logo. The girls are going to wear Youth Making a Difference shirts in a parade before the fashion show.

Molly helps Amanda make her screen print.

Anna applies paint to the back side of the screen.

It gets spread with this wonderful tool.

The finished shirt came out fantastic.

.. As did a print on this handmade hemp shoulder bag.

Photos by Susan Sachs Lipman

Young Crafters Prepare for Eco Fashion Show

Posted on June 10, 2009 | 2 comments

About a dozen wonderful teens and younger girls have been busy for months preparing for an Eco Fashion Show that is slated to be part of the annual Fairfax Festival in Fairfax, CA, this Saturday. More details about the show are here. I had the good fortune to spend time with them last weekend and watch their creations and creativity bloom, as they transitioned recycled and vintage clothes to new uses and made beautiful items, while having fun, all under the auspices of Sustainable Fabric Guru Molly de Vries.